Zimbabwe to Punish Public Sector CEOs Getting Hefty Salaries

HARARE —
Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa told parliament on Wednesday that Harare will take action against executives of government-owned companies and public entities that have been paying themselves unreasonable salaries once on-going investigations have been completed.

Responding to questions from members of the House of Assembly on media revelations that senior executives from the Public Service Medical Aid Society, the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation and others have been paying themselves absurd salaries at the expense of service delivery and ordinary people, Chinamasa said the Office of the President and Cabinet has started investigations into the remuneration of public sector companies and other public entity executives.

The investigations were instigated following shocking revelations that most executives in parastatals and local authorities were paying them obscene salaries at the expense of service delivery.

Junior staff at these companies were getting low salaries and in the case of the ZBC, employees would go for months without receiving salaries while executives got their full salaries plus allowances without fail.

ZBC chief executive officer Happison Muchechetere was following revelations he was earning more than $40,000 per month while worker went for six months without pay.

Also being investigated are goings-on at PSMAS where chief executive officer Cuthbert Dube was paid a monthly salary of $230,000 per month. Harare city council executives are also receiving monthly salaries of more than $35,000.

Health Minister David Parirenyatwa told the National Assembly that his ministry was not responsible for the outrageous salaries that were being paid to the PSMAS executives.

Responding to questions from lawmakers, Parirenyatwa said the PSMAS salaries were approved by the board.

He, however, said the ministry was worried by what he said were unacceptable salaries at PSMAS, adding investigations aimed at normalizing the situation are underway.

Parirenyatwa said Dube’s forced retirement was a board decision, adding the government will make its own decision in the interest of public and the country.

In related development, one of the country’s three mobile operators, Telecel Zimbabwe, on Wednesday launched its mobile money services, Telecash, in the capital.

Other operators - Econet Wireless and NetOne - run similar schemes, EcoCash and One Wallet services, respectively.

Telecash becomes the first mobile money system to integrate on the Zimswitch platform which is used by local banks to interlink their systems.